ALPINE — Ashlan Rogers played volleyball for six years before a coach saw her potential as an outside hitter.
"It was ninth grade that I started as an outside," said the Lone Peak senior. "Before that, I was a setter most of the time. I loved hitting right away."
No matter that at 5-foot-8 she would be one of the smaller outside hitters playing in the largest classification.
In fact, the saying, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog" might have been coined for Rogers. It's her passion, her determination, and of course, her skill that earned her the 2010 Deseret News Ms. Volleyball Award.
Rogers led the Knights to a 5A state title after finishing second last season.
While her two older sisters earned college scholarships as setters, she blazed a different path.
"She has to forge her own path," said Lone Peak coach Deanna Meyer. "She has to be different. She is kind of a fighter. She has something to prove."
Her tenacity made it tough for opponents to ever really shut her down.
"She's just a passionate, passionate player," said Pleasant Grove coach Jamie Schapper. "She's determined out on the court, and it really helps her lead her team."
Rogers said she is interested in nursing or psychology when she heads to Utah State on a volleyball scholarship next fall, but her parents believe she might want to consider practicing law.
"She is a strong-willed child," said her mom, Jana Rogers. "She should be a lawyer when she grows up. If she believes in something, she's very loyal and honest and she'll argue it to the bitter end. Especially if she thinks she's right."
Jana Rogers coached her daughter when Ashlan first started playing.
"From the time she started, she was first very competitive and second of all, very athletic. Everything you would teach her, she was able to pick up."
But it wasn't until she was 14 that her parents realized just how good Rogers was going to be.
"She was asked to play on an 18-and-under junior national team," said her mom. "She went back to compete in Dallas as a starting outside, and they finished sixth. At that point we were like, 'Wow, she can compete at a really, really high level.' "
Rogers is a perfectionist on the court, which is one of the reasons she has accomplished so much, but also one of the reasons she's struggled with her emotions at times.
Her parents said that dealing with frustration has been her greatest challenge as an athlete.
"She is such a high achiever that she gets very emotional when she's on the court," said Jana Rogers. "She sets very high goals for herself. It may look like she's frustrated at other things, but she's frustrated with herself. When she steps on the court, she steps on to win. If she's not doing everything she feels she can, she's very hard on herself."
Mastering those emotions and using them to her advantage is something Rogers worked on very hard this season. The reward was a more cohesive team.
"The thing she had to learn most this year was how to be there for her team in other ways than just a physical player," said Meyer. "She has a lot of responsibility because she can make the players around her better. She makes or breaks the team with how she's playing on the court … because she's such an infectious personality."
Rogers said she knew at the beginning of the year she'd need to be a better leader if the team wanted to reach its goal of a championship.
"This is one of the funnest teams I've played with," she said. "I knew I had to work hard and constantly be positive … I was the talker, always tried to calm them or build them up. And they did that for me. I was so confident in my team, and they were so fun to play with and so positive."
One of the most valuable things Rogers brought to the court was confidence. Her hard work and dedication set the tone for the team, and in turn, she learned to trust her teammates.
Part of what motivates Rogers is the desire to show doubters what she's capable of on the court.
"Being smaller in stature, Ashlan always has to do things twice as well to get the same kind of respect as a bigger player," said Meyer. "She goes up against these big blocks and she does it game after game."
She's an intelligent player who will find a way to win regardless of the odds. As confident and as determined as she is, she is also hungry for knowledge and guidance.
"She was always really skilled but really coachable," said Meyer. "You don't get that very often."
Volleyball has been the focal point of Rogers' life for a number of years. She even gave up singing and theater endeavors to focus on her passion.
When asked how volleyball has affected their daughter's life, the Rogerses don't hesitate to list off the benefits.
"Discipline, hard work," said her mom.
"Rewards," her father, Doug, chimes in. And then her mom adds, "Rewards through hard work."
Ultimately, they say, the game of volleyball has been her sanctuary.
"Really it's a place to go that if she gets frustrated, she can go on to a volleyball court and let everything else go," said Jana Rogers. "That may be where she can really thrive. It's where she feels successful, where she feels comfortable."
Past Ms. Volleyball
2009 — Lori Mendenhall, Brighton
2008 — Brooke McAlister, Pleasant Grove
2007— Lacey Laycock, Lone Peak
e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com